


Aquamarine

by FairyLights101



Series: Matsuhanaiwaoi Week 2017 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aquariums, Family, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 21:10:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9516443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyLights101/pseuds/FairyLights101
Summary: I’m too old for this.But, within the aqua-stained glow, he could feel himself falling in love all over again. With every step deeper into the aquarium it resettled into his chest, the ideas of “love” and “family”, breathtaking in their strength.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Seijoh 4 Week Day 3: Child|Parent AU/Aquarium Date

“Papa, lookie!” Issei obediently followed after Yuuki as he darted forward and practically threw himself at the glass of the exhibit, eyes wide and body jittering as he tipped his head back as far as he could. He couldn’t help but smile as he ruffled his son’s hair with a glance back at the other three. Tooru was knelt by the stroller, Akako slumped against the straps, Koneko peering around, her eyes wide, chubby fingers grasping for Takahiro, who had drifted away from the stroller towards the exhibit they were in front of, just as awestruck as Yuuki, and Hajime shook his head and smiled. 

Issei’s eyes crinkled with a grin as he turned back to the glass as the tug of his son’s hand, just in time to see a  _ gargantuan _ tiger shark swim past, mouth parted to reveal row after row of serrated teeth. Yuuki crowed with delight and clapped his hands together as he bounced. “So cool! Papa! Did you see it!” 

“You bet I did, buddy,” he said softly as he knelt by his son, one hand on his back. “Do you know what that one was?” 

“Yep! That was a tiger shark! They’re  _ super _ cool - they give birth to live pups! Oh, they’ve got a bunch of teeth, ‘n they hunt at night on the ocean floor!” 

“Wow Yuuki!” he gasped, “That’s so cool! Where’d you learn all that from?” 

“Animal Planet!” The boy beamed at Issei for a moment before he plastered himself back against the glass, stabbing at it with every shark that passed by. “That’s a hammerhead shark! They have special sensor thingies on their heads to they can find food! And nurse sharks! They sleep in big piles during the day!” 

“Yuuki, you’re so smart,” Hajime said over their shoulders. 

The boy whirled around and latched onto Hajime’s leg, beaming up at him as he tugged on Hajime’s dark jeans. “Really Daddy?” 

“Absolutely.” He swept the six-year old off his feet and settled Yuuki on his hip as Issei grinned up at them. Blue light rippled across their faces, leaving them glowing in the dark. It turned Hajime’s green eyes a radiant cerulean, full of so much love and joy that Issei wanted to melt into a messy puddle on the ground.  _ At least it’s not that far to melt to. _

Fingers curled over his other shoulder and he twisted, found Takahiro by his side, eyes locked onto the sharks that lazily made their way through the quiet waters, fish flickering through the space and rocks around them. His fingers trailed along the cool glass, mouth parting as he peered into the deep blue. “Look,” he whispered, eyes fixed on a great mass that moved by the far end of the tank, spots just barely visible as it drifted along. 

“A whale shark!” Yuuki cried. 

“Can we…?” Takahiro breathed, eyes flicking to the other two. They grinned at him and nodded. 

“Of fu- _ freaking _ course. We’re going that way anyways,” Issei laughed as he brushed a kiss across Takahiro’s knuckles. His husband  _ beamed _ . Issei was certain his knees went a little weak. Even more so when Tooru draped himself across Takahiro’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“We’ll get there soon,” Tooru murmured soothingly, “Let’s go through the tunnel and see the other things. I know Akako wants to see the jellyfish.” 

“Jellies!” the little girl cried, clapping her hands together as she jostled the stroller. Koneko’s head lolled up, eyes fluttering open as her mouth stretched into a yawn. She bumped her sister in the face with her arm, but she didn’t fall back asleep, and thankfully neither of them burst into tears. 

They lingered in the circular room for a few more moments before they moved on, this time into the tunnel. Sharks slipped overhead, casting shadows through the muted glow of a million shades of blue. Even Yuuki went silent, no facts falling from his lips as he gazed around, reaching out to follow sharks as they swam up and over the tunnel and down to the reefs on the other side. Shoals of fish darted around the reef and through the corals, though they avoided open water, especially where the “ocean” floor dropped off to the imitated open ocean beyond. Vibrant colors bloomed all around, full of radiant orange, shocking pink, and brilliant yellows that mixed with other, more muted colors, covering the rocks so much that the dull gray beneath could barely be seen. 

Koneko gasped and jabbed a hand, which had all eyes turning in time to catch sight of a deep red octopus slide across the rocks, its long tentacles and suckers working to carry it along. “Christ,” Tooru breathed. 

Yuuki just beamed happily and squirmed until Hajime let him down once more, and the boy ran to the glass and pressed his face to it. “So cool,” he sighed. The adults just laughed and shook their heads before they coaxed him to move along. Issei could see Tooru beside him, carefully filming since Hajime had taken over the stroller, while Takahiro drifted on ahead, his mouth wide open with childish wonder. 

“I’d forgotten he’d never been to an aquarium, let alone here,” Hajime murmured to him as he turned the stroller towards the reef as another shoal of silvery fish darted past. 

“Yeah,” Issei breathed with a glance to their husband as he slowly spun, clearly not sure what to gape at first. “It’s times like this when I remember just how poor his family was.” 

Warm fingers brushed along the inside of his wrist, then interlaced with his. He turned and found Hajime’s mouth waiting, and he could only laugh into the kiss, eyes half shut. “Well,” Hajime hummed against his lips, “At least he’s here now.” 

_ “Guys,”  _ Takahiro chirped, “C’mon, the jellyfish and stuff are up ahead!” 

“Jellies!” Akako shrieked again, rocking the stroller. She thrust her arms out, making grabby fists at Takahiro, who giggled and swooped in, but rather than free her he started to tickle her. Shrill, bubbly laughter burst out of the little girl as she flailed beneath her Dad’s attack, his fingers dancing across her pudgy little belly. 

“Gonna go see the jellies!” he sang to her, beaming as the other three watched, “You excited, Akako?” 

“Y-yes D-Daddy!” she shrieked between peals of laughter that broke the calm of the aquarium, and finally Takahiro stopped. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her out of the stroller. At her demand he shifted her onto his shoulders, and Issei could only beam at them and the matching smiles they wore, their dimples flashing and eyes glittering.  _ Gods, I love you both so much. _

A little sound tugged his attention down. Koneko glared up at him, grabbing at him, demanding to be picked up. With a chuckle he undid the straps holding her in and swept her up, settling her on his hip and leaving Hajime with an empty stroller to push around. He just rolled his eyes and moved along, the three adults and Yuuki following. Darkness awaited them beyond the tunnel with another room like the first, the wall to the right just another massive panel that opened up to show more of the gargantuan tank. 

They stood there for a few moments before they moved along, deeper into the aquarium. Tanks lining the walls greeted them, breaking the dark with their muted glows - jellyfish. Akako gasped as the lights of one of the cylindrical tanks in the center shifted, fading from blue to purple, then to a soft pink and a radiant red, all of which caught on the jellyfish lying within. She tugged on Takahiro’s hair, until he obliged her and walked over, laughing all the while. Issei followed in suit, grinning as Koneko tugged on his curls. Soon they were all clustered around the tank, eyes wide as they watched the jellyfish drift through the changing colors. 

“What kind are these, Yuuki?” Tooru whispered. 

“Um… moon jellyfish!” he chirped, stabbing at the plaque on the tank. “They’re pretty!” 

“Jelly,” Akako cooed as she pressed her hand to the tank, then smooshed her face against the glass. Hajime chuckled and shook his head, and Issei could only smile, eyes crinkled and cheeks aching. They’d only been there for half an hour at most and already he’d smiled enough for it to hurt. But it made him so overwhelmingly full of  _ joy _ that it bubbled through his chest, warm and pleasant as he took Tooru’s hand, the warm metal of their wedding band pressed against his fingers. 

The wall tanks held different kinds - one was full of sea nettles, their orange-yellow coloration stark against the cerulean backdrop, long ivory tendrils trailing behind them. Takahiro’s mouth didn’t shut once as they drifted past tanks full of white-spotted jellies with pale yellow ruffles, black sea nettles that looked like clouds of deep purple floating along, elegant ivory-colored spotted jellyfish, flower hat jellies with their wobbling black lines and purple-tipped tentacles, and a dozen more. Issei couldn’t exactly peel his eyes away from Takahiro, or his other partners - not that he minded.

Tooru listened closely to Yuuki’s every word, smiling and encouraging him as he rattled off facts he’d memorized from hours spent hunched over books and crouched in front of nature documentaries. Hajime just watched the creatures, face soft, but whenever his eyes flicked over to Akako and Takahiro, the two of them pressed against the glass, or at Issei and Koneko, the latter of which eyed everything with confusion and curiosity, he smiled faintly. That faint upturn made Issei’s chest give a funny little twist every time until finally he had to force his eyes away. 

_ I’m too old for this. _

But, within the aqua-stained glow, he could feel himself falling in love all over again. With every step deeper into the aquarium it resettled into his chest, the ideas of “love” and “family”, breathtaking in their strength. 

Tooru’s excited babble with Yuuki, who clung to his and Takahiro’s hands when Akako moved to Hajime’s shoulders, left smiles tugging at his cheeks. Yuuki’s wide hazel eyes that fought desperately to drink the whole world in behind huge round frames, lips moving with facts he silently breathed to himself as they parted from the jellyfish left Issei warm, paternal pride twisting his stomach. 

Hajime, who held Akako and followed the pointing of her chubby hands, a huge grin on his face, easier to come since time and the kids had softened him. He pointed to the crustaceans in their tanks, some of them full of hermit crabs with brilliantly colored shells, some of them huge blue or red or with purple claws, and every new discovery that made his eyes light up filled Issei to the brim with aching love. 

The way Akako clapped her hands and laughed with every little comment Hajime made to her as they ogled the crabs together just made his cheeks ache fiercely, his little daughter too beautiful for words. Koneko, who quietly asked to be let down when they reached the Hawaiian Islands reef exhibit and pressed herself to the class, calmer than her siblings, warmed him from toe to head as she followed the paths that the tangs and angelfish and a dozen other fish took through the tropical waters, radiant corals behind them. 

And then Takahiro, perhaps the most awestruck of them all, devouring everything he could see with a desperation Issei hadn’t seen in him in a while. He bounced from exhibit to exhibit, gasping over the silver shoal of sardines that twisted through the water in intricate patterns or the silver and gray-striped fish that lazily swam through forests of orange kelp, or the coelacanths that drifted along through their habitat. 

He couldn’t resist the subtle but incessant urge that bubbled up, and as they watched vibrantly colored fish from the Indian tropics dart past he leaned in and kissed Takahiro on the corner of his mouth. A ragged inhale followed, and then Takahiro turned to him and kissed him, fingers curling into his shirt over his heart. Issei’s eyes fluttered shut as a pleased sound escaped him and he pressed closer, one hand curling over Takahiro’s hips as he tipped his head to the side. He could smell the sweet tones of Takahiro’s perfume, could taste the vanilla-flavored lip balm he was hooked on. And, when he pressed his fingers over Takahiro’s heart, he could feel it thumping away, quick with excitement. 

_ I love you so much.  _

“Ew! Daddy and Papa are  _ kissing _ !” 

The two pulled apart just in time to watch Tooru scoop Akako up and poke her cheek. “Of course they are, silly,” he sang as he teasingly poked her cheek, “We all kiss each other lots because we love each other.” 

“Oooo…” 

Tooru just grinned and situated her so that her head was on his shoulder, facing the other way before he leaned in and snatched a kiss from Takahiro, then Issei, and leaned back with a wink. “Come on. The whale sharks are just up ahead, and then the tide pools!” They went through another dark room with an observation window dominating one side, the tunnel up ahead - and then they were out in it. 

Their feet slowed, mouths falling agape as they stared up and around at the pseudo ocean that surrounded them. Rock formations dotted the bottom, rising up from the sand and housing creatures that moved, just barely visible with their camouflage. Massive tuna darted about as sharks circled lazily underneath, slowly moving. Huge manta rays glided past, casting shadows across the family as they followed the path of a pair as they passed overhead. A dozen other kinds of fish swarmed the open waters, and Issei felt woefully uninformed as he gazed on, eyes wide. 

And then he spotted the slow-moving giants. 

Three of them, one on the far end of the tank, closer to the reef, one near the top of the tank, and within a dozen meters, drifting along as though it had no goals in mind. It’s deep gray skin was spotted with brilliant white spots and streaks. It swam closer, sliding its bulk through the water with ease, closer and closer, until it passed right overhead, white underbelly to them, a dark shadow falling across. Issei could only stare, enraptured, as it moved on, further into the exhibit. 

Small fingers wrapped around his and tugged until he blinked and looked and found Koneko’s hazel eyes on him. “Papa,” she said softly, “Why is Daddy Hiro crying?” Issei’s head snapped up. 

Takahiro had one hand pressed to the glass, eyes trained on a second, smaller whale shark that had started to make its way towards them. His lips wobbled, body shaking, as tears rolled down his cheeks and dripped down to the floor. But he was  _ smiling _ , an absolutely breathtaking thing that left Issei reeling for a moment until he looked back to his daughter. “It’s okay. Go join your sister and brother, arlight?” 

“Okay.” She walked away and he shifted forward, just as Tooru and Hajime did. 

Together they wrapped him up into a tight hug, laying sweet kisses all over his cheeks, forehead, nose, lips until bubbly giggles burst out and Takahiro captured their faces one by one for a long, sweet kiss. “Thank you,” he breathed against each pair of lips. “Thank you… thank you.” 

“I love you too,” Issei murmured back beneath the glow of aquamarine. The others echoed him, smiling as they peppered his beautiful crying face with more kisses.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you enjoyed ฅ(*°ω°*ฅ) Especially since I'm a little behind, oops  
> Hit me up at [fairylights101writes](http://fairylights101writes.tumblr.com/) to keep up to date with all my writing things


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